) 


The  International  Committee  of  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associations 

347  MADISON  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK 

FOREIGN  DEPARTMENT 


The  Relationships  of  a  Foreign  Secretary 

Adopted  by  the  Foreign  Committee  September  29,  1919 


I.  DEFINITIONS 

1.  “Secretary,”  unless  otherwise  designated,  means  in  this  pamphlet  a  secretary  of  the  International 
Committee  of  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associations. 

2.  “International  Committee”  means  The  International  Committee  of  Young  Men’s  Christian  Asso¬ 
ciations  of  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

3.  “National  Committee”  means  the  executive  body  of  all  the  Associations  in  a  country  or  group  of 
countries. 

II.  GENERAL  POLICY 

4.  The  International  Committee  has  been  charged  by  the  International  Convention  of  the  Associations 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada  with  the  administrative  duty  of  carrying  out  a  policy  to  establish 
self-directing,  self-sustaining,  and  self-propagating  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associations  in  other 
lands.  In  many  countries  the  secretaries  of  the  International  Committee  were  the  pioneers  in  this 
Movement,  but  in  some  countries  the  secretaries  of  the  English  National  Council  were  first  on  the 
field.  There  are  in  several  of  the  large  areas  not  only  American,  Canadian,  English  and  Scottish 
secretaries,  but  also  Australian,  New  Zealand,  Dutch,  Swiss,  and  Danish.  All  of  these  are  prac¬ 
tically  honorary  workers,  sent  by  their  respective  countries  for  service,  and  are  provided  with 
salary,  allowances,  and  personal* expenses  through  their  home  committees. 

5.  In  harmony  with  this  general  scheme,  the  International  Committee  also  sends  secretaries  and  pro¬ 
vides  entirely  for  their  support.  There  are  secretaries  sent  from  the  United  States  and  Canada  imder 
the  auspices  of  the  International  Committee  who  are  supported  entirely  or  partially  by  local  com¬ 
mittees;  the  International  Committee  is  not  responsible  financially  for  these  secretaries,  except 
under  special  arrangements. 

6.  The  relationships  defined  in  this  manual  refer  entirely  to  secretaries  of  the  International  Com¬ 
mittee. 

7.  The  fact  that  these  secretaries  are  chosen  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  and  are  supported 

through  the  International  Committee  involves  other  relationships  to  the  International  Committee 
as  well  as  financial;  each  secretary  and  the  International  Committee  have  mutual  responsibilities 
which  are  hereinafter  defined.  • 


in.  THE  RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE  SECRETARY  TO  THE  INTERNATIONAL  COM- 
MITTEE 

8.  The  secretary  is  called  and  appointed  by  the  International  Committee  which  also  decides  upon  the 
country  in  which  he  is  to  work.  The  appointment  of  a  secretary  contemplates  service  for  life  except 
when  a  limitation  of  time  is  specified.  The  salary  and  allowances  are  fixed  on  a  scale  described  in 
a  separate  pamphlet.  It  is  mutually  understood  that  a  secretary  on  appointment  undertakes  to 
carry  out  the  policy  and  wishes  of  the  International  Committee  and  to  conform  to  its  instructions. 


9.  The  location  of  a  secretary  in  the  country  is  determined  by  the  National  Committee  after  consul¬ 
tation  with  the  local  Association  concerned  and  with  the  Senior  Secretary  and,  of  course,  in  agree¬ 
ment  with  the  appointee.  Among  the  factors  involved  in  the  decision  as  to  location  are  the  needs 
of  the  field,  the  special  training  of  the  secretary,  the  physical  condition  of  the  secretary  and  his 
family,  and  the  securing  of  the  best  combination  in  that  particular  field  of  leadership,  tempera¬ 
ment,  and  experience.  Where  there  is  no  National  Committee,  the  Senior  Secretary  and  the  local 
Association  determine  his  location  with  due  consideration  of  similar  factors. 

10.  The  secretary  may  be  withdrawn  or  transferred  from  one  national  field  to  another  at  the  discretion 
of  the  International  Committee,  in  consultation  with  the  National  Committees  concerned  and  the 
secretary  himself. 

11.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  secretary  to  report  regularly  and  fully  to  the  International  Committee  and  to 
follow  the  counsel  of  the  Committee  in  keeping  his  constituency  informed  as  to  his  work.  Ordi¬ 
narily  he  should  send  a  report  at  the  end  of  every  quarter  and  one  of  these  reports  will  be  an 
annual  letter  to  the  General  Secretary  of  the  International  Committee  and  an  annual  report  to  the 
International  Committee,  both  of  which  are  sent  at  the  same  time.  Suggestions  about  reports  are 
found  in  another  pamphlet. 

12.  The  secretary  is  expected  by  the  International  Committee  to  devote  all  his  time  to  the  task  which 
he  accepts  from  the  National  Committee  or  from  the  local  Association  and  he  will  not  give  time 
to  other  work  without  the  consent  of  the  Association  or  of  the  National  Committee.  In  cases  of 
emergency  he  should  follow  the  counsel  of  the  Senior  Secretary. 

13.  Should  the  work  which  he  accepts,  under  these  conditions,  provide  additional  remuneration,  this 
should  be  credited  as  a  refund  on  his  salary  in  view  of  the  fact  that  he  is  supported  entirely  by 
the  International  Committee. 

IV.  THE  SENIOR  SECRETARY 

14.  In  order  that  the  International  Committee  may  have  a  representative  on  the  field  specially  qualified 
to  interpret  its  policy  and  spirit  and  to  deal  with  the  personal  questions  of  the  secretaries  of  the 
International  Committee,  the  International  Committee  appoints  one  of  the  staff  as  the  senior  in 
every  field  where  there  is  more  than  one  secretary.  Where  there  is  a  National  Committee  this 
appointment  is  made  in  consultation  with  it. 

15.  The  functions  of  the  Senior  Secretary  as  they  specially  affect  each  secretary  of  the  International 
Committee  are: 

16.  A.  In  Fields  where  there  is  a  National  Committee: 

(a)  To  attend  to  such  personal  problems  of  the  secretary  as  health  of  himself  and  his  family,  his 
personal  finances,  as  the.se  involve  arrangements  with  the  International  Committee,  insurance 
and  relief,  income  tax,  furloughs,  place  of  residence,  use  of  vacations,  relations  with  the  home 
constituency,  and  with  the  secretary’s  own  government. 

(b)  To  act  as  agent  of  the  International  Committee  in  the  disbursement  of  its  funds  and  in  the 
acquisition,  use,  and  sale  of  its  property. 

(c)  To  receive  the  secretary  on  his  arrival  in  the  country,  introduce  him  to  the  National  General 
Secretary,  and  instruct  him  as  to  his  relationship. 

(d)  To  preside  when  necessary  for  some  special  reason  to  have  a  conference  of  secretaries  of  the 
International  Committee. 

(e)  To  have  charge  of  the  archives  of  the  International  Committee  on  the  field. 

(f)  To  cooperate  with  the  National  General  Secretary  in  seeing  that  the  attitude  of  each  secretary 
of  the  International  Committee  toward  the  Association  work  on  the  whole  field  is  in  accord¬ 
ance  with  the  policy  of  the  International  Committee. 

(g)  To  perform  such  other  functions  in  relation  to  other  secretaries  of  the  International  Com¬ 
mittee  on  the  field  as  may  be  indicated  by  the  International  Committee. 


17.  B.  In  Fields  where  there  is  no  National  Committee: 

In  addition  to  the  functions  outlined  in  paragraphs  (a)  to  (g)  above,  in  so  far  as  these  apply,  the 

Senior  Secretary  has  the  following  functions: 

* 

(h)  To  study  the  needs  of  the  whole  field  and  the  problems  of  the  whole  Movement  in  order  that 
he  may  intelligently  advise  the  International  Committee  on  all  problems  relating  to  that  field. 

(i)  To  keep  these  problems,  needs  and  opportunities  as  wtII  as  the  results  of  the  whole  Association 
Movement  in  the  field  before  the  International  Committee. 

(j)  To  see  that  the  claims  for  expansion  of  the  Association  Movement  to  places  and  classes  where 
it  does  not  exist  are  urged  upon  the  International  Committee. 

(k)  To  act  as  supervisory  agent  of  the  Association  or  Associations  in  the  field  to  which  the  Inter¬ 
national  Committee  is  related,  until  the  National  Committee  is  formed. 


V.  THE  RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE  SECRETARY  TO  THE  SENIOR  SECRETARY 

18.  The  secretary  should  confer  with  the  Senior  Secretary'  on  questions  relating  to  his  personal  budget 
which  cannot  be  dealt  with  by  the  International  Committee  because  of  emergency  or  other  limi¬ 
tation  of  time,  such  as  emergency  furloughs,  changes  of  location  involving  expense,  etc. 

19.  In  any  matters  requiring  immediate  attention  which  do  not  fall  within  the  province  of  the 
National  Committee,  and  upon  which  the  International  Committee  has  not  given  the  secretary 
instructions,  or  upon  which  its  general  policy  is  not  clear,  the  secretary  should  follow  the  advice 
of  the  Senior  Secretary  pending  hearing  from  the  International  Committee. 

20.  The  secretary  shall  furnish  the  Senior  Secretary  with  a  copy  of  his  quarterly  and  of  his  annual 
report  and  annual  letter  to  the  International  Committee. 

21.  Questions  relating  to  the  budget  of  the  secretary  and  which  are  not  emergencies  should  be  taken 
up  with  the  International  Committee  direct. 

22.  Nothing  in  these  instructions  shall  be  interpreted  as  barring  the  secretary  from  direct  access  to 
the  International  Committee.  The  International  Committee  regards  every  secretary  on  the  field 
as  primarily  related  to  it  and  values  highly  direct  communication.  At  the  same  time  the  Com¬ 
mittee  believes  that  the  whole  wmrk  will  profit  by  securing  the  counsel  of  the  National  General 
Secretary  concerning  the  policy  and  program  of  the  work  and  of  the  Senior  Secretary  on  personal 
questions. 


VI.  RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE  SECRETARY  TO  THE  NATIONAL  COMMITTEE  AND 
TO  THE  LOCAL  ASSOCIATION 

23.  Secretaries  from  the  United  States  and  Canada,  wdio  are  familiar  with  the  independent  relation¬ 
ship  of  the  local  secretary  to  supervisory  bodies,  such  as  the  State  Committee,  the  International 
Committee,  or  the  Canadian  National  Council,  will  find  in  most  countries  a  closer  co-ordination 
of  the  work  and  consequently  a  closer  relation  between  the  local  Association  and  the  National 
Committee.  This  relationship  is  reflected  in  the  relationship  of  the  secretary  to  the  National 
Committee.  Soon  after  he  reaches  the  country  he  is  introduced  to  the  National  General  Secretary 
and,  henceforth,  the  National  Committee  has  a  supervisory  relationship  to  him,  which  has  no 
exact  counterpart  in  the  relationship  of  secretaries  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  to  their 
respective  agencies  of  supervision.  The  purpose  of  this  arrangement  is  not  only  to  co-ordinate 
more  closely  the  work,  but  also  to  make  the  secretary  feel  immediately  that  he  is  a  part  of  the 
whole  Association  Movement. 

24.  The  duties  of  the  secretary  are  determined  by  the  body  which  appoints  him,  e.g.,  the  National 
Committee  or  the  local  Association  according  to  the  procedure  indicated  in  paragraph  9. 

25.  While  he  sustains  a  primary  responsibility  to  the  local  Association  of  which  he  is  a  secretary, 
he  is  expected  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  promote  close  and  cordial  co-operation  between  the  local 
Association  and  other  Associations  in  that, field  with  the  National  Committee. 


VII.  THE  RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE  SECRETARY  TO  OTHER  INTERNATIONAL  SEC¬ 
RETARIES  ON  THE  FIELD 

26.  When  two  or  more  secretaries  of  the  International  Committee  are  serving  the  same  Board  of 
Directors  or  the  same  National  Committee,  their  relations  are  determined  by  the  definition  of  their 
duties.  They  and  all  other  secretaries  of  the  International  Committee  on  the  field  should  bear 
in  mind  that  they  are  related  to  a  common  home  committee;  their  relationship  to  one  another 
should,  therefore,  be  the  same  as  that  between  secretaries  of  the  International  Committee  on  the 
home  field,  namely,  one  of  hearty  co-operation  and  mutual  consideration.  Inability  to  work 
loyally  and  harmoniously  with  one’s  colleagues  in  this  intimate  relationship  is  regarded  by  the 
International  Committee  as  a  fundamental  disqualification. 

VIII.  THE  RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE  SECRETARY  TO  OTHER  SECRETARIES  THAN 
THOSE  OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL  COMMITTEE  IN  THE  COUNTRY 

27.  It  is  a  cardinal  principle  of  the  International  Committee  that  its  secretaries  have  the  same  status 
as  all  other  secretaries  in  a  given  country.  While  secretaries  of  the  International  Committee  may 
have  a  different  scale  of  salaries  and  allowances  from  some  others,  neither  this  fact  nor  any  other 
elements  must  be  allowed  to  mar  the  harmony  in  which  International  secretaries  work  with  all 
others  on  the  field,  to  whom  they  are  related. 


IX.  THE  RELATIONSHIP  OF  THE  SECRETARY  TO  THE  CHURCHES  AND  THE  MIS¬ 
SIONARIES  OTHER  THAN  SECRETARIES 

28.  The  work  of  a  secretary  should  be  carried  on  in  harmony  with  the  missionaries  and  pastors  of 
Churches  in  his  field  and  with  various  societies  which  they  represent.  Most  earnest  efforts  should 
be  made  to  secure  their  approval,  sympathy  and  co-operation.  While  he  is  under  obligation  loy¬ 
ally  to  support  the  Church  and  the  missions  in  all  their  activities,  he  should  seek  to  serve  them 
especially  in  their  work  as  it  concerns  young  men.  Every  secretary  should  definitely  affiliate  him¬ 
self  with  some  branch  of  the  Christian  Church  on  his  field. 


